Michigan voters head to the polls today with the Great Lakes State playing an increasingly key role in the race to decide the nation’s next commander-in-chief. Polls across the state are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., where voters also will choose their candidates in a variety of state and local races.

The main stage at the Michigan Republican Party watch event. Photography: Kara Albrecht

The Michigan Republican Party hosted a watch party event tonight in the Lansing Center. Watch party attendees were remaining optimistic for Hoekstra in the Senatorial Election. To view the full story, visit: http://storify.com/KaraMarie/s

A non-profit conservation group lists nine candidates from the Great Lakes region among the 2012 politicians it says hinders environmental legislation. The two “Dirty Dozen” lists identify 12 federal and 12 state-level candidates that the League of Conservation voters say have the worst environmental records in close races around the country. The nation-wide group works toward environment-friendly public policies. A third of the candidates the league identified are running in the Great Lakes states. The lists are created with the help of more than 30 similar groups at the state level.

As MSU animal science sophomore Andrea Block gazed across her 160-acre farm in Davison, Mich. on her weekend visit home, she wondered just how long her childhood farm can stay financially afloat. After unusual weather caused an early thaw resulting in drought this past summer, the Block farm saw a number of damaging effects, including a dramatic increase in hay expenses from about $4 to $15 a bale. “It’s really expensive for farmers to keep their animals,” Block said. “That’s why so many people are getting rid of their horses.

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Summertime poses as the perfect opportunity for students to make and earn money for the up-and-coming school year but with more and more summer internships failing to offer compensation for their time students can struggle to make ends meet. “When I first got my internship I was so excited,” said Michigan State University pre-med student Ali Beydoun, “then found out it was unpaid and I got a little worried.